Startup in Paris on Heet.io

Whilst tech startups are not yet contributing as much to French GDP as in other big startup cities, figures are increasing and investors are starting to show more interest. The French government are also supporting startups both in legislation and financially through the backing of accelerators. They are encouraging successful entrepreneurs to give back to the startup economy.This is exactly what Xavier Niel, major player in the technology industry, has done. 42 school is an initiative offering free IT training and a space for creative tech work in Paris which aims to fuel the tech startup scene. Niel is the principal investor.

He has also been working with the government in plans to convert ‘La Halle Freyssinet’, former Parisian rail depot, into an enormous startup incubator housing 1,000 tech startups from 2016.